Student petition sparked action
The Maharashtra government continues to explore legal gaming in the Indian state. A law passed in 1976 making it legal to operate casinos, but it was never fully enacted.
Last year, law student Jay Satya discovered the Maharashtra Casinos Control and Tax Act through a freedom-of-information search. He pursued the matter without success, and then filed a petition stating, “The government of Maharashtra has arbitrarily and unreasonably kept in abeyance the act by not notifying it.”
The Mumbai High Court directed the state government “to decide within reasonable time on the issue of implementation of the act, particularly since the legislation was enacted almost 40 years ago.” It also ordered officials to locate potential casino sites.
The original act covers casino licenses, the array of games that may be offered, and also set a tax rate, according to TheHindu.com.
A home department source told the website, “This is a sensitive issue and since the government fears adverse publicity, we have neither made a public announcement nor replied to any assembly queries.” The source added, “A decision on casinos in Maharashtra is expected very soon.”
Currently, just three states in India permit any form of casino gambling: Goa, Daman and Sikkim, according to the India Times.
According to a blog on India Times, “Goa and Sikkim (are) the only two states that are grown-up about (legal betting). Which is why pretty much all of India’s very thriving, extremely lucrative betting industry works under the table.”
